LifeWay EXTRA! SessionsEXTRA! Weekly Supplemental Teaching Plans Childhood Bible Studies for Life EXTRA for Preschoolers February 3, 2008 February Sessions for Preschoolers Kevin Lintz ALL SESSIONS FOR THIS MONTH ARE INCLUDED February 3, 2008 Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by doing what God wants me to do. (3s–Pre-K) Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by obeying God. (Kindergarten) Design a Bible Phrase Sign (3s–Pre-K) Gather: Bible, heavyweight paper, markers, construction paper, glue sticks, scissors, yarn, masking tape Prepare: Write the Bible phrase Do what God says (Exodus 19:5) on a large piece of paper and hang it where children can see it. Spread out the materials where students will be working. Teach: Open your Bible and read Do what God says (Exodus 19:5) to the first children who arrive. Talk about what that means. Ask children what they can do to obey God. Continue looking in your Bible and talk about how Abram did what God said when he moved to a new home. Help children use the materials to make a sign which shows the Bible phrase. Assist them in writing the phrase in the middle of the paper and decorating the border with construction paper shapes. You may need to write the Bible phrase for younger children. As children finish, attach a length of yarn to the back of the sign and send it home with instructions for parents to hang it in a visible place in their homes. Create a Passport (Kindergarten) Gather: manila paper, stapler, glue sticks, rubber stamps and ink, old travel magazines, scissors Prepare: Cut sheets of manila paper into quarters and staple four of them together to make small books. Make enough for each child to have one book. Look through the travel magazines and remove any inappropriate pictures. Teach: Invite students to look through the travel magazines and find interesting pictures that they can cut out and glue into their passport books. Talk with children while they work and ask them about times they have taken trips. Let them tell you stories about family visits, holidays, or moving to a new home. Discuss how Abram and his family took a trip to a new home even though he didn’t know where he was going. Remind students that Abram did what God told him to do. When students have filled their passport books with pictures, let them pretend to take trips to other countries. Show the rubber stamps and model how to stamp the pages of someone’s passport when they travel. Give each student a chance to stamp the books of the others. February 10, 2008 Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by being kind. Experiment with Sand (3s–Pre-K) Gather: clean play sand, plastic bottles, funnels, measuring cups with spouts, towel, and large tub Prepare: Lay the towel on the floor in a corner and place the tub of sand and all other materials nearby. Ask children to wash their hands before working. Teach: Allow children the chance to play with the sand when they first arrive. Model how they can fill up the bottles with sand using a funnel or a measuring cup. Talk about the Bible story and explain that people filled up Isaac’s wells with sand so his animals could not drink. Comment that Isaac was kind and worked to get along with his neighbor. Help preschoolers think of ways they can be kind to others. Encourage them to show kindness while they work with sand by sharing materials and taking turns. Play a Sorting Game (Kindergarten) Gather: index cards, crayons, colored pencils, large chart paper, and masking tape Prepare: Draw a large, capital letter T on the chart paper, dividing it in half with a header at the top. On one side, write Needs Water and on the other side write Does Not Need Water. Teach: Distribute the cards, crayons, and pencils and ask students what they know about water. Talk to them about how water is used and who uses it. Expand their thinking by helping them recall the broad variety of plants and animals that need water. Extend your discussion of water to include snow and ice if your city still has winter weather. Also discuss what kinds of things do not need water such as inanimate objects like forks or pencils. Let students draw pictures of things that do or do not need water. When they draw a picture on a card, they can attach it to the chart in its appropriate location. Provide enough cards for students to draw multiple pictures. Talk about how Isaac’s animals and helpers needed water to drink. Talk to the children about how Isaac was kind to people who were unkind to him and that we need to be kind to everyone. February 17, 2008 Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by being a friend. (3s–Pre-K) Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by recognizing when I hurt others. (Kindergarten) Drink Tea (3s–Pre-K) Gather: cups, spoons, a variety of tea bags, sugar, honey, Allergy Alert Chart, percolator or microwave, napkins Prepare: Set up your center so you can heat the water in a clean percolator or microwave. Use individual cups of water. Keep all heating devices away from children. Attractively arrange the tea items on a table or floor area where you will be working. Post an Allergy Alert Chart and prepare to have alternate beverages for students who cannot have tea, honey, or sugar. Teach: Welcome students to sit with you as you show them the pieces of the tea set. Let them choose what kind of tea they would like. Heat the water and carefully allow students to place a tea bag in the water to steep. While the tea is steeping, talk with children about friends they have and what they like to do with them. Let students choose if they want honey or sugar in their tea. Do not insist that boys and girls drink all of their tea, but encourage them to try it before rejecting it. Spend your time together talking about ways that children can be friends and how they can show love. Tell parts of the story of David and Jonathan and emphasize that they were friends who loved each other. Write Letters (Kindergarten) Gather: pens, pencils, paper, envelopes, and stickers Prepare: Display the writing materials at a table. If you like, create a mailbox where students can drop off their letters. Teach: Give paper and pencils or pens to the children when they sit down. Let them write letters and words they know while you talk about the Bible story. Emphasize the fact that Esau loved his brother Jacob. Encourage children to write letters to friends and family members. They may want to thank family members or tell them how much they love them. Some kindergarteners may want to write a letter to someone they hurt to say they are sorry. Respect whatever type of letter each child chooses to write. Distribute envelopes and stickers to use as stamps for their letters. Send the letters home with the children and ask them to deliver them to the correct people. Talk about different ways they show love to others. February 24, 2008 Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by helping my family. (3s–Pre-K) Today's Bible Truth: I can show love by doing God’s plan. (Kindergarten) Grind Grain (3s–Pre-K) Gather: bowls; Allergy Alert Chart; mortar and pestle; towel or drop cloth; various grains such as wheat, corn, oats, or barley, Prepare: Post an Allergy Alert chart informing parents that the children will be handling grains. Sort the grains into bowls and place the bowls, mortar and pestle on the towel. If you do not have a mortar and pestle, students can grind grains with large flat rocks. Teach: Let boys and girls feel and smell the grains as they come to work. Talk about how Ruth gathered grains like these to make into bread for her and Naomi. Show the mortar and pestle and demonstrate how to use them to grind grain into flour. Give each child a chance to work with the tools. Make sure preschoolers do not injure their fingers if they are grinding grain with rocks. After preschoolers notice that they have worked hard but have produced very little flour, comment that Ruth and Naomi had to work very hard to get their food. Remind them that they can work hard to help their families. Help them think of ways they can do difficult work which helps their family. Comment that helping family shows love. Make a Prayer Flipchart (Kindergarten) Gather: digital camera, index cards, binder ring, markers, glue sticks, single hole puncher Prepare: Take photos of all your students and print them out. Print them small enough that their faces will fit on index cards. Put the photos and all other materials at a nearby table. Teach: Encourage children to name the children in the photos. Help each child glue her own photo onto an index card. Leave enough room for them to write their names on the cards. Punch a hole in the corner of each card and thread the cards on a binder ring. Show the completed stack of cards and talk with the children about things that are happening in their lives. Talk about what they are planning to do in the coming days, weeks, and months. Begin talking with them about what they think they can do in first grade or when they grow up. Discuss the Bible story and mention that Joshua followed God’s plan to help people. Flip through the cards and pray aloud for each child as his picture comes up. Invite the children to flip the cards and pray for each other also. Keep the flipchart and add new or absent children as needed. Kevin Lintz directs the kindergarten Sunday School department at University Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- EXTRA is a supplement designed to enhance and expand the effectiveness of printed curriculum provided by LifeWay Church Resources. EXTRA is produced by Publishing Services and Multimedia, LifeWay Church Resources, Copyright 2007, LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. SPECIAL NOTE: Some Internet addresses given in EXTRA are outside the LifeWay Internet domain. Because of the changing nature of the Web, EXTRA editors cannot be held responsible for content on pages outside their control. At the time of this posting, the specific pages mentioned have been viewed and approved by the EXTRA editorial staff. However, at the time of your viewing, the information on these pages may have changed. 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